UMa Professors Honoured

In Search of Hope – by Sam Gannon

Seconded to the parish of Tililngdon, the Reverend Dolores has been presented with a challenge.

She’s living in an antiquated house and she’s cold. Furthermore, her new Bishop, Bishop Alice does not approve of ‘showgirls in dog collars.’

Determined to prove the Bishop wrong, she sets about warming her house – who cares if it smells of horse! There is the crochet club, jumble sale, and soup run to organise. And this year, the church bells will ring, no matter what threats are made. Even more so, the newly formed choir will spread a little joy this Christmas, even though they can’t sing – yet! And with a little help from Phil, her bassist, this year could be full of magic.

However, she has a fight on her hands as the townies out in Knob Hill – she must stop calling it that, are trying to stop her from ringing her bells. When Krystal with a K decides to do some volunteer work, Dolores sets out to see just how committed she really is.

Up to her ears in granny squares and squawking choristers, Dolores is revving up for Christmas, yet a deeper darker secret is beginning to emerge!

A secret that could blow the whole parish apart and put Dolores in danger.

(available from Amazon)

Nine professors and researchers from the University of Madeira have been ranked among the Top 2% of the most cited scientists worldwide in 2024 within their respective fields. This recognition was announced by Stanford University, USA, in partnership with the Elsevier publishing group, in the latest edition of the ‘World’s Top 2% Scientists’ list.

The list of most cited UMa researchers in 2024 includes seven researchers from the Madeira Chemistry Centre: José S. Câmara, current Vice-Rector for Research, Innovation and Internationalisation, in the area of Analytical Chemistry and Food Science; Helena Tomás, in the area of Chemistry, Nanotechnology and Biomedical Engineering; Rosa Perestrelo, in Analytical Chemistry and Food Science; Jorge A. M. Pereira in the area of Analytical Chemistry and Food Science; Jaison Jeevanandam, in Nanoscience and Biotechnology; Serge Mignani, in Biomolecular and Medicinal Chemistry; and Xiangyange Shi, in Nanotechnology and Polymers. In this edition, we also highlight Jorge A. M. Pereira, who is part of this list for the first time.

Also on this list are researchers Mikhail Benilov, from the Institute of Plasmas and Fluids, in the area of Physics, Fluids and Plasmas; and João Canning Clode, from MARE-Madeira/ARDITI/UMa, in the area of Marine Biology and Ecology.

In addition to appearing on the list of the most cited over the last year, José S. Câmara, Helena Tomás, Jaison Jeevanandam, and Xiangyange Shi are part of the list of scientists with the greatest impact throughout their careers

“These results distinguish not only the individual merit of the researchers, but also the collective work of the research centres and units, the scientific rigor and continuous dedication that they have placed at the service of science, society and the affirmation of the University of Madeira on the international scene, and reflect the institutional strategy in promoting and strengthening scientific research of excellence,” states a press release from the University of Madeira.

These results determine that in the same ranking, the University of Madeira occupies 28th place among 176 Portuguese institutions (public and private), side by side with some of the most relevant universities and national research centres (such as the Centre for Structural Chemistry, the Gulbenkian Institute of Molecular Medicine or the New University of Lisbon).

Samantha Gannon

info at madeira-weekly.com

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